


Lost Time

by theoretically_moss



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Black Eagles Spoilers, Death of a loved one, F/F, Hurt No Comfort, post crimson flower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 06:32:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoretically_moss/pseuds/theoretically_moss
Summary: All things fade with time, this was a fact that Byleth knew well. But she still wished it not to be true, not when it came at the cost of the things she loved so dearly.





	Lost Time

Sunlight filtered into the room, forcing Byleth’s eyes to flutter open. There was an unnatural stillness about the room, as not a sound could be heard. Something was off as the woman turned her head to find Edelgard still lying in bed, eyes closed. Normally she would have awoken and begun to prepare for the day before Byleth.

“El?”

There was no response. Not even the slightest movement. The icy claws of dread began to dig into Byleth’s guts. Quickly, she turned over and reached for her wife’s face. Her skin was cold, devoid of the warmth of life. Byleth’s breath caught in her throat, as though she were choking on nothing.

“No, please don’t.”

The Emperor’s chest was unmoving, no sign of the flow of breath. Byleth hurried to check for a pulse, but found none. She put her ear to Edelgard’s chest, hoping desperately that this was all some cruel joke. But she heard nothing. She kept her head there for what seemed like an eternity, but nothing changed. Edelgard’s heart was as still as Byleth’s once was.

“No, no, no. El, you can’t leave me like this. Not now.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. She clutched at her love’s still body, wishing desperately for life to return to it. She didn’t want to lose someone so important to her. Not again. Not after everything they had done. They had come so far and yet there was still so much to be done. They hardly had enough time together, barely even making up for those five years they had been apart.

“Please, El. I can’t lose you.”

Byleth hugged her wife’s body closely, finally allowing the tears to flow. Her body was wracked with sobs at the sight of her love’s peacefully still face. Byleth knew this was coming. She knew and saw, and yet she didn’t want to believe. Time was a cruel mistress, stealing away all things loved as it went along its merry way. All it left in its wake was pain for others to suffer.

It was obvious this was to come, though. Every day, Edelgard had grown weaker and weaker. A few years back, it had been obvious that she had started to become slower at doing physical tasks, making weaker movements and taking more time to act. Her legs began to fail her, it was obvious when she would lean against objects for support. Hubert had provided her with a cane so she might walk about more easily. But eventually even that was not enough. For long walks, she would need the support of others to guide her and keep her upright. For the past few months, it had been a struggle to even move her from room to room, requiring one or two people to hold her by her sides and guide her with each faltering step, before seating her on a chair so she might do her tasks from there.

Every day, Byleth would be there to help Edelgard move about, Hubert assisting when need be. It was so hard to watch the Emperor in such a sad state. It caused no end of fear and pain. Yet, whenever Byleth sat her down, Edelgard would look her in the eye, noticing that fear, and would reassure her with a soft smile and two simple words: “I’m fine.”

But her smile never reached her eyes. Those lilac eyes had only shown pain, fear, and sorrow. She knew she had to leave Byleth soon, too soon, but never knew when. They both had hoped to find some way to reverse the effects of Edelgard’s crests, but they had been too slow. It was too late to do anything now.

“We were supposed to prevent this. We just needed a little more time. Please, El, don’t leave.”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Not even Byleth could reverse the hands of time to stop this. This was inevitable, but it still hurt her so. It was like a part of her had been forcibly torn out, leaving a hollow pain within. All she could do now was hold Edelgard’s body close to her, out of fear that she’d lose the last thing remaining of her love.

Rushed footsteps could be heard outside their door. Hubert must have realized something was wrong if they were taking too long to prepare. The doors to their room flew open, Hubert standing in the doorway, the scene registering in his mind. His usually stoic demeanor slowly crumbled as Byleth lifted her head to look up at the man. He was terrified to see the woman holding the Emperor so closely, tears staining her cheeks.

“El. She’s…” Byleth’s voice came out broken, hardly above a whisper. She took in a sharp breath as she tried to compose herself, just enough to finish. “She’s gone.”

**Author's Note:**

> I originally didn't want to write and post this fic because I know from experience how difficult it can be to watch a loved one slowly die and that's not a pain I'd wish upon anyone. But I chose to do this for myself, whether to help me grieve or out of respect, though I could not say. I don't like to think about people close to me dying, but writing out the feelings is a great help, so I thought it would be a waste to keep the story I've written as a result to myself.


End file.
